Bhubaneswar: Water levels have started receding in several flood-hit areas of Odisha’s Malkangiri district following heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said on Saturday.
Rout said the water level in the affected areas is expected to recede further by Saturday night and Sunday morning as the intensity of rainfall has reduced.
“This year, there has been less rainfall in southern Odisha. However, the region received heavy rainfall on two occasions due to low-pressure systems,” Rout told reporters.
He said Rayagada and Gajapati districts were affected by flash floods on August 25 following heavy rainfall.
“On the second occasion, another low-pressure system brought very heavy rainfall, particularly in Malkangiri district,” he said.
According to Water Resources Department records, several areas of Malkangiri received extremely heavy rainfall during the 24-hour period from Friday morning to Saturday morning.
Malkangiri recorded 192 mm of rainfall, while Khairput received 142 mm, Chitrakonda 192 mm and Korukonda 134 mm, Rout said.
In neighbouring Nabarangpur district, Dabugam received 135 mm of rainfall during the period, he said.
The Balimela Reservoir area in Malkangiri recorded 219 mm of rainfall, the official said.
While some other parts of the state, including Jajpur and Puri, received comparatively less rainfall, Malkangiri district, particularly the Balimela area, witnessed very heavy rainfall, Rout said.
He said the situation was now improving as water levels had begun to recede in many areas.
“The water level has receded in many areas and it is expected to recede further by tonight and tomorrow morning,” Rout said.
The official said the rainfall pattern in southern Odisha this year had been comparatively lower overall, though two spells of heavy rainfall caused flooding in parts of the region.
